


Starmyu IN Pokemon Contest

by Williukea



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, スタミュ: 高校星歌劇 | Starmyu | High School Star Musical
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:13:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22126165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Williukea/pseuds/Williukea
Summary: Starmyu Pokemon AU - pokemyu.  Ch 1 - Tooru is participating in a pokemon contest, when he meets an interesting contestant. Ch 2 - After a powerful gym battle, Ren must take care of an injured pokemon.
Relationships: Hoshitani Yuuta & Nayuki Tooru, Kitahara Ren & Nanjou Kouki
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SukiRikko](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SukiRikko/gifts).



> A birthday Gift for my new best friend (boku de yokereba) in Starmyu fandom, the one and only Angel, SukiRikko. Thank you for blessing my evenings, you're an angel. Here's your two favorite fandoms crossing over - Starmyu IN Pokemon Contest. Plus it's set in your favorite region. Happy Birthday, hoe! Nnever give up!

He could see it. The pokemon contest area. Tooru was going to win his first ribbon today. Or at least he hoped to. He has never won a contest before, never even passed to second round, and this time would be no different. His extreme stage fright would cause him to mess up and lose again. If only there was some way to beat his stage fright…

Lost in thoughts, he didn't notice someone in front of him until he bumped into that person.

"I'm sorry!" He apologized, but as he looked up, he saw it was just a pole with a poster that he bumped into. How embarrassing… people around him were laughing. He stood up, gathering his things.

"Are you ok?" Someone asked. It was a guy around his age. He reached his hand to Tooru, helping him to stand up.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you." Tooru replied to the stranger. 

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Tooru. Tooru from Chunagi city."

"That's an unusual name. I'm Yuuta from Starvale town. It's in Alola region."

"You have an unusual name too, Yuuta-kun. What are you doing here in Hoenn region?"

"Looking for someone. A person I admire. What about you? Participating in contests?"

Huh?

"How did you know?"

"You dropped this." It was his ribbon case. His empty ribbon case.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Sorry, I have to go now. See you later."

"See you." Yuuta ran off. Tooru hoped to see him again.

…

Tooru reached the area. Rui-kun and Eigo-kun were already here, together as always. They saw Tooru and nodded. Tooru nodded back. He wasn't really friends with them, but they were all from the same city and left for their journey at the same time.

Tooru went on to register. After registering for the contest, he saw Kaito-kun. Or rather heard about him from the whispers.

"Hey, is that..?"

"Yes, it's Haruto-sama's little brother!"

"You mean that Haruto-sama?"

"Yes, that! The Top Coordinator and Elite 4 member!"

"Amazing!"

Tooru could see Kaito-kun get angry. He never liked being compared to his brother. Tooru left without saying anything to him. He probably doesn't even know Tooru. He was way below Kaito-kun's level.

He looked around. There were so many amazing trainers around. One was playing with his Skitty. One was practicing with his Ribombee. Oh no, he was getting stage fright again. What should he do? He was going to lose again… he shouldn't even participate in contests, he was going to fail either way.

"Tooru! Hello! I thought I'd run into you again!"

He looked around...

"Yuuta-kun?" It was him. The same Yuuta he ran into few hours ago.

"Yes. Hey, Tooru, can you tell me where I can register?"

"Um… it's right here."

"Thank you! It's my first time entering a contest, I don't really know things. Tooru, have you entered contests before?"

"Yes." A lot. Never won. Was he even worthy of entering another?

"That's great! Please show me around! I don't know anything."

"Okay. Let's go to the waiting hall. You have to wait for your name to be called."

"Got it. Let's go!"

Somehow, with Yuuta-kun, he felt calmer. Not as scared.

The contest was starting. The MC introduced panel of judges - Contesta-san from the organizing committee, the pokemon fan club president Sukizo-san, and local Nurse Joy-san from Ayakou city.

Kaito-kun was the first to go. His Lunatone was beautiful. He used Future Sight to set the countdown. Then he used Rock Throw to get rocks in the air. Lunatone flew by elegantly, avoiding its own rocks. This was met with huge ovations from the audience. Kaito-kun used Psywave to keep the rocks in place, as the Future Sight hit them. Then he used another Psywave to shape the destroyed rocks into multiple Lunatone shapes, flying around the actual Lunatone. The audience was standing in ovation when he finished performance. It was really beautiful and in Kaito-kun's style.

"The performance truly brings out the bond between trainer and pokemon. Good job." Contesta-san complimented.

"I like Lunatone." Sukizo-san added.

"This is a performance we couldn't keep our eyes away from. Just what you expect from Haruto's little brother."

Oh no. Tooru could see Kaito-kun getting angry.

"This has nothing to do with it!" He shouted. Then, realizing what he did, he stormed off, followed by Lunatone.

"What happened?" Yuuta-kun asked.

"Kaito-kun doesn't like being compared to his brother. This is a well-known thing in my city."

"Who is his brother?"

"Haruto-san, Top Coordinator and member of Elite Four. You didn't know him?"

"Ooh, that's amazing. If I had a famous brother like him, I would be proud."

"Kaito-kun has his own issues with his brother. Let's leave it at that."

They kept watching the performances. It was Rui-kun's turn. He sent out Horsea. A water pokemon in dry land contest? Why would he do that? It was the same Horsea he raised from egg last time, but still a swimming water pokemon.

"Bubble!" He ordered. Horsea jumped to the middle of stage and shot bubbles all around it, jumping on them and dancing in the air. Somehow, the bubbles didn't pop.

"Ice beam!" Horsea used the attack to freeze bubbles, making a swirling ice bubble sculpture. Then it used used Hydro Pump to scoop the ice, as the pokemon slid down from the top while scooping ice. It was very risky and very beautiful. After sliding down all the way, Horsea jumped up, performed a double somersault and landed down on its tail. The audience was excited. Camera focused on a boy with pink hair, he seemed to be clapping the most.

It was finally his turn. 

"Good luck, Tooru. You can do it. I know you can! Let's win this and face-off in the finals!"

"Thank you, Yuuta-kun." But he couldn't do it. He was too scared. He was going to fail again. He went to the stage and called out his pokemon.

"Come out, Snorunt!" 

Snorunt immediately started waving the crowd.

Tooru was afraid. Very afraid. His stage fright was back. 'Yuuta-kun, I'm sorry' he thought. He remembered Yuuta cheering him on. Their promise to meet in the finals. And called out.

"Double Team!"

Snorunt listened. There were multiple Snorunts appealing to the crowd.

"Blizzard!" he thought of his little sisters, of the time they had fun at home during a heavy snow, after Tsumugi said there's no way she was going out in that weather.

"Powder Snow!" He remembered the time Yuuki, like her name, took them out to play after the heavy snow stopped.

"Protect!" He will make his sisters proud. He couldn't fail anymore.

The Protect sphere covered the heavy snowfall. The snow was falling and gathering in the sphere, like a storm in a teacup. After the sphere exploded, a gentle snow has started falling. It was like small clouds gathering around the multiple Snorunts. After the copies disappeared, all the snow clouds disappeared. Both Tooru and Snorunt bowed. The audience was clapping. Clapping for him. He noticed the pink-haired boy that was impressed by Rui-kun's performance. He was sitting, but also clapping. But people were actually clapping to him!

It was time for judges. He hoped they wouldn't be very strict.

"You have shown us a beautiful ice show. With more work you can achieve even better results." Contesta-san commented.

"I like snow." Sukizo-san was the same as always.

"Despite the rough beginning, you pulled through and showed us how beautiful your pokemon was. Congratulations."

They noticed. Obviously they did. Tooru bowed, returned Snorunt to the ball and left. Yuuta-kun was here, prepared to go. 

"Good job, you were great! I won't lose!"

"Good luck, Yuuta-kun." Was he really that good? Not likely.

He returned to the waiting room.

"Good job, Tooru." Rui-kun complimented him.

"Thank you." It was Yuuta-kun's turn. He called out a pokemon Tooru has never seen before. It looked like Pikachu, but weird.

He took out the Index. Apparently it was called Mimikkyu, ghost/fairy type. A person who sees beneath its rag, even accidentally, dies? What kind of pokemon is that?

Yuuta-kun was performing.

"Shadow Ball!" He ordered, and Mimikkyu shot a bunch of balls into the air.

"Hidden Power!" The same thing happened with white balls. Somehow, miraculously, they stayed up in the air. 

"I think we need glitter." Yuuta-kun commented, as Mimikkyu used Shadow Claw to destroy both light and dark balls. It turned into a glitter parade. Then Mimikkyu started dancing. It looked like a flying bird, he could see the wings from glitter! It was truly brilliant!

After finishing the performance, Mimikkyu high-fived, if you can call it that, Yuuta-kun with its wooden tail. The audience was wild.

"A beautiful display of relationship between trainer and pokemon. Well done." Contesta-san complimented him.

"I like glitter." Sukizo-san said as always.

"A great mix of different moves. It was a truly sparkling performance."

After Yuuta-kun, the last contestant was the Ribombee trainer. He actually fell down on the way, but his performance was bee-autiful.

Yuuta-kun was back.

"It was great, Yuuta-kun. What kind of pokemon is that?"

Yuuta-kun called out Mimikkyu again.

"Tooru, this is Mimikkyu. He's from Alola, too. My first caught pokemon. Well, not really caught, since he wanted to travel together."

"Isn't he dangerous?" Tooru wondered. The Index did say that someone died after seeing it.

"Not at all." He reached towards Mimikkyu, who climbed on his hand and on his shoulder. It seemed happy.

"Nice to meet you, Mimikkyu." He said.

After the last trainer performed, the judges announced a break to decide best 8. In the meanwhile, they turned on last year's Hoenn league finals. He remembered the battle, apparently two finalists were from the same city and had three very similar pokemon.

"Don't worry, we'll pass, both of us. And then we'll have a battle."

He really hoped so. Judges were taking a long time to announce top 8, and the battle on screen was already ending. Both trainers had their last pokemon out. It was Latias and Latios battle.

After a fierce battle, Latias was unable to continue. Latios has won. Trainer Tsubasa was announced as the winner. Both trainers shook their hands and left.

Finally they were announcing top 8! He… passed! He actually passed! Yuuta-kun and Rui-kun did too! But Kaito-kun didn't, was it the mention of his brother that caused it?

Kaito-kun got angry and left with others who did not pass. One trainer fell down on the way.

The first round matchups were confirmed. First battle was Tooru vs Yuuta. Already?

"Let's do our best, Tooru!"

"Sure." 

They went on stage. Tooru was scared again. He tried to think of his sisters and how excited they were to see him pass. And he wanted to face-off against Yuuta-kun.

They called out their pokemon. The countdown has started.

"Mimikkyu, Shadow Ball!" Mimikkyu launched multiple dark balls to Snorunt.

"Blizzard!" He countered, as Snorunt's Blizzard froze the dark balls. Yuuta-kun lost points.

"Double team!" Tooru called out. Multiple Snorunts appeared, appealing to the crowd. Yuuta-kun lost even more points.

"Mimic!" Yuuta-kun said, and Mimikkyu copied Snorunt's Double team. 

"Hidden power!" All the copies of Mimikkyu sent out white balls, way too many to handle.

"Powder Snow!" He tried freezing, but it didn't work. The attack hit Snorunt.

Their points were tied now, around a quarter lost, with less than 4 minutes remaining.

"Blizzard!" Tooru called out.

"Shadow Claw!" Yuuta-kun's Shadow Claw tore through the Blizzard.

"Protect!" With the shield in place, Shadow Claw didn't do any damage. 

"Powder Snow!" He called, but it only hit Mimikkyu's shield. Where did it come from?

"Don't forget about Mimic."

This was fun! Really fun! He never felt this way before!

"I won't! Double Team!"

"Shadow Ball!"

"Blizzard!"

Snorunt's Blizzard has blown off all Shadow Balls, but Mimikkyu was gone. Where was he?

"Shadow Claw!"

Behind him! Snorunt turned back, only to be hit by Shadow Claw in front.

"Snorunt!"

She stood up. She was fine.

"Powder Snow!" He aimed at Mimikkyu, but missed.

"Mimic!"

Mimikkyu used Powder Snow and it hit Snorunt. She stood up.

"Double Team!"

"Mimic!"

Both Snorunt and Mimikkyu used Double Team. There were dozens of pokemon on stage!

"One minute left!" The MC announced. Yuuta-kun had more points, but he could still win.

"Shadow Ball!"

"Protect!"

The balls bounced off from shields, exploding mid-air and obscuring vision. He couldn't see anything!

"Behind you!"

As Snorunt looked behind her back, Mimikkyu used the chance to hit her with Shadow Claw. He fell into the trap again.

"Blizzard!" He called, but the clock hit zero. Yuuta-kun was halfway through, while Tooru only had a quarter of points left.

He lost. But he didn't feel bad. He already got better than before, and battle with Yuuta-kun was really fun.

"Congratulations, Yuuta-kun."

"Thanks, Tooru. You were great too."

They went back to the waiting room. Two other contestants went on to fight - one with ice-type Ninetales and other with regular one.

"It's been a while since I saw ice-type Ninetales. In Alola they're really popular."

It was the first time Tooru saw one. Alola was an interesting region.

"Do you have pokemon contests in Alola?"

"Nope. Not even gym battles."

"Is that why you left Alola?"

"Kinda. This and… I'm looking for someone. A person I saw. His dance was beautiful. I couldn't see his face, but he was slightly older than me. He danced with a Pidove and was so amazing. I want someone to be inspired by my dance the same way I was by his."

"That's a great dream."

Then they noticed a Skitty. It kept meowing, trying to get Yuuta-kun's attention. Then it touched his leg.

Yuuta-kun got scared and moved away. Skitty seemed to be insulted by such treatment. It had a red collar, so it likely had a trainer.

"Tavian? Is that you?"

Skitty, Tavian, meowed in response.

"If you're here, is your trainer here too?"

Tavian meowed and ran off, Yuuta-kun followed it. Tooru did too.

They followed Tavian and saw two guys arguing. One of them was Kaito-kun.

"Kakeru! Did you come to see me?"

They both noticed Yuuta-kun and Tooru.

"No way! I have stuff to do here. You being here is just a coincidence."

"Really? You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

He was clearly lying.

"Who's your friend?" Yuuta-kun showed to Kaito.

"He's not my friend. Just a thoroughbred with brother complex who thinks he can perform."

"At least I actually performed, unlike you. And I have more gym badges."

"Yeah right. We have the same amount."

"Hey, stop fighting, you two." He went to Kaito-kun.

"Hello. I'm Yuuta from Starvale town."

"I'm Kaito and I'm not interested."

"Nice to meet you, Kaito. I saw your performance, it was amazing. Tooru told me all about you."

They all looked at Tooru now. Yuuta-kun, why?

"Um, I'm Tooru, from Chunagi town. Nice to meet you."

"Boor." Was all he said.

"Hey, don't be rude. Tooru, this is Kakeru, from Coronet Town in Sinnoh. He's really friendly once you get to know him." 

Was there really such a town in Sinnoh? He only knew of a mountain with such name. But then Sinnoh was big, so maybe there was such a town.

Suddenly the bell rang for semi-finals. Yuuta-kun hurried off, so did Tooru. He wanted to support Yuuta-kun.

His match was against… Rui-kun. Oh no, he wanted them both to win. 

Yuuta-kun locked eyes with Rui-kun.

They went on the stage. Their battle was amazing. 

After the battle, Rui-kun won. He managed to knock out all of Yuuta-kun's points before time was over.

Rui-kun beat the other trainer with ice-type Ninetales. He won the finals and got a ribbon. Next time Tooru will get one too.

"Where are you going next?" Yuuta-kun asked as they were leaving.

"I don't know. Haven't thought of it."

On the way, they heard two guys talking about the show.

"Your contestant lost in semis, mine won in final. A deal is a deal, I'm using your bike until next time." Said the first guy with black hair.

"Be careful. Don't ruin it." Said the other guy with purple hair.

"Did I ever?" Asked the first guy again, as their voices faded amongst the chatter from other people.

"How about Ripple city? It has a gym and a contest." Said Yuuta-kun excitedly.

"Sounds great."

"Would you like to travel together?" He asked.

Tooru thought of how fun it was to battle Yuuta-kun. He wanted to experience it again.

"Yes." He said. "Yes I would."

Yuuta-kun was really happy to hear it.

"Come on, let's go!" He said, and they continued their trip around Hoenn.

It was a new beginning for him.

To be continued.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a certain challenger comes to challenge Ripple gym, Ren's life turns upside down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a birthday gift to Mysteria, my mysterious new friend. Happy birthday, stay Guilty

"Torracat is unable to continue. Vaporeon wins. The winner is gym leader Sakuya-senpai."

Another battle, another victory for Sakuya-senpai. As gym leader's assistant, Ren has seen a lot of trainers challenge the gym with unique pokemon and battle styles. This challenger, Izumi, was actually one of the stronger ones that challenged Sakuya-senpai. Pity he didn't win.

"Good job today. Train some more and return next time." Sakuya-senpai told the challenger.

"Thank you." He replied. Izumi's friend, whose name Ren didn't know, put his hand on his friend's shoulder as they left.

"Take care of him." Sakuya-senpai told Ren, talking about Vaporeon. Vaporeon was the gym pokemon who refused to leave the gym, so it was up to Ren to take care of Vaporeon after every battle, while Sakuya-senpai took Poliwrath to be healed at Pokemon Center.

Ren gave the water pokemon a berry and let him in a pool to relax with other water pokemon. Vaporeon wasn't that injured, so this should help him recover.

Then Ren heard the door opening.

"Hello?" Said someone, most likely another challenger. 

"Gym leader is away at the moment. Come back tomorrow for the battle."

Ren looked at the challenger. It was a boy around his age, tall, with white hair. 

"I see. But I think I want to battle now. How about you battle me?"

"Huh? I'm not the gym leader."

"Then fight me as a fellow trainer. I want to practice before the actual gym battle."

"Okay, but if you lose, you'll be Guilty."

"Fine by me."

They stood on the opposing sides of the battlefield.

"The battle will be one on one. Let's start."

"Come out, Swanna."

"Battle time, Makuhita."

The mysterious trainer took out his Index.

"Makuhita. Guts pokemon. It loves to toughen up its body above all else. If you hear quaking rumbles in a cave, it is the sound of Makuhita undertaking strenuous training."

As gym leader's assistant, Ren heard so many Index introductions, he could tell where the challenger got their Index.

"You're from south Hoenn, aren't you?"

The trainer actually looked surprised. Ren was right.

"Yes, I'm Kouki from Winterswamp city."

"I'm Ren. From Ripple city." The northern part of Hoenn was always his home.

"Nice to meet you. Swanna, Water Gun."

Oh, he was fighting Guilty now.

"Arm Thrust!"

Makuhita's Arm Thrust has successfully blocked Swanna's Water Gun.

"Tackle!" Ren ordered, and Makuhita dashed towards Swanna, but the bird flew away.

"Water Gun!"

Ren couldn't dodge it, so the Bubble Beam hit Makuhita.

"Not bad. Vital Throw."

"Wing attack!"

Both attacks hit the pokemon. Both were damaged, but Makuhita seemed to be more tired.

"Tackle" Ren told his pokemon. As Makuhita started attacking, his opponent used

"Double Team." Suddenly there were dozens of Swanna all around, but only one of them real.

"Which one is it… Makuhita, Arm Thrust!"

Makuhita tried hitting one of the copies, but he chose the wrong one. He tried again, and missed. Plenty of copies remained.

"Swanna, Wing Attack." He ordered, as all the Swanna copies started spreading their wings and attacking Makuhita. There was nothing Ren could do to stop it.

Makuhita is unable to continue, Swanna wins.

"Thank you." Ren said, returning Makuhita back to its ball.

"That was amazing! You're Not Guilty."

The other trainer laughed.

"Thanks. You did good, too."

They shook their hands after the battle. He returned Swanna back to the ball.

"Well then, I should go now. I'll return tomorrow for the gym battle."

"Okay."

He turned and started walking out the door, when suddenly he froze in place.

"What's wrong?"

Ren came closer and saw it - a pokemon, very injured, barely able to stand, but not giving up.

"We have to get it to Pokemon Center! Hurry!"

Ren took the pokemon and started running towards Pokemon Center. The pokemon tried to get out from his arms, but Ren was strong and the pokemon was very weak.

"Joy-san!" He shouted. Joy-san was absent, but lucky for him and the pokemon, Chancey was at the front desk. Healing pokemon immediately took the injured patient to the ER. 

There was nothing Ren could do now except wait.

"It'll be fine." Kouki said, sitting next to Ren. 

"Thank you." Ren said, as they both sat in silence, waiting for news.

"Ren, what happened?" Ren looked up to see Sakuya-senpai with a worried look on his face.

"Senpai! It was a pokemon, very injured. I couldn't leave it."

"What pokemon was it?"

"Um..." Ren wasn't sure what was that pokemon, only that it wasn't from Ripple city.

"It was Bulbasaur." Kouki joined the conversation. "My name is Kouki, from Winterswamp city. Here to challenge the Ripple gym."

"I'm Sakuya, the gym leader of Ripple gym. We can fight later."

Kouki took out his Index.

"Bulbasaur can be seen napping in bright sunlight. There is a seed on its back. By soaking up the sun's rays, the seed grows progressively larger." His Index informed, and the pokemon in it was just like the one Ren found.

"Yes, that's the one."

"What is a wild Bulbasaur doing here, in Ripple town?"

Neither knew the answer, so they sat in silence, waiting. Sakuya-senpai went to get them drinks, so it was just two of them waiting. Ren couldn't stand the silence.

"How many badges do you have?" Ren asked Kouki.

"Only one so far." He answered, taking out his badge box. There was one badge in it, shaped like a leaf. "Grandfall gym badge."

"No Winterswamp gym badge?" Ren thought it was weird that Kouki doesn't have a gym badge from his own hometown.

"Not yet." He replied.

"Ripple city is far from northern Winterswamp and Grandfall. Why would you come here before facing other northern gyms?" Sakuya-senpai was back with the drinks. It was the usual orange juice.

"No reason. Just wanted to watch the Ripple town pokemon contest."

Kouki took the orange juice and shook it.

"The pokemon contest that happens tomorrow morning?" The whole city was talking about it, but Ren wasn't really interested in it.

"That's the one."

"Wasn't there a contest in Winterswamp city last month?" Sakuya-senpai insisted.

"I promised someone to watch his performance in Ripple city tomorrow."

"A friend?" Ren asked.

"I don't think he would appreciate being called my friend." Kouki laughed, as if remembering something funny about the mysterious person.

"Then why..." Ren started asking, but the ER room light went off. Joy-san has finished healing the mysterious Bulbasaur.

Joy-san came out of the ER with sleeping Bulbasaur on a hospital bed.

"Joy-san! How is it?" Ren asked, worried.

"She'll be fine. She's a fighter"

"What happened to her, Joy-san?" Ren asked. Joy-san shared a look with Sakuya-senpai. What's going on here?

"Pokemon Hunters. They're evil poachers who capture wild pokemon and keep them in horrible conditions."

What? Pokemon Hunters?

"This girl managed to get away, but there are likely others in there. I already notified the police and Ripple City's officer Junsa-san. They will go out searching in the morning."

Morning? That's too long!

Ren looked outside - the sun was already low. Police probably didn't want to go out at night.

Sakuya-senpai and Joy-san were still saying something, but Ren wasn't listening, he was thinking about all those captured pokemon and how weak Bulbasaur was when she got away.

"Ren, can you hear me?" Sakuya-senpai was saying something to him.

"Yes."

"Ren, go home. Bulbasaur will be fine. You did all you could."

"But..."

"Ren, you need to look after the gym and all the pokemon. You're the future gym leader of Ripple gym. Listen to me, Ren."

But… the Pokemon Hunters…

"Ren!"

"Okay..."

Ren turned around and went towards the gym. He had to trust in Sakuya-senpai.

"Are you really going home?"

It was Kouki. He must have followed Ren.

"I don't know anymore. If I don't listen to Sakuya-senpai, I will be Guilty. However. If I leave those pokemon alone, I will be even more Guilty. Let's go!"

Ren made up his mind. 'I will do what I want.', he thought, and ran towards the forest where the Pokemon Hunters were. The good thing was that he knew the forest well enough to find them. He trained with Makuhita in the forest before and noticed something strange, but didn't check it.

They reached a clearing and saw it - two young guys capturing and locking pokemon in cages. How could they do it? Ren was seething!

"You have pokemon, right?" Kouki asked.

Of course he had, Makuhita… oh no!

Kouki noticed his expression and realized the same thing. Makuhita was still tired from their previous battle.

"Here, take it. It's Swanna." Kouki gave Ren the ball. 

"Thanks." Time to find out what else it can do.

"I have an idea..." he started saying, but Ren wasn't listening. He was focused on one of the guys capturing Ponyta. Hunter was tying it with metal chains. The pokemon was fighting back, but it was getting weaker. He had to do something…

"Swanna, Wing Attack!" He summoned the pokemon, and it broke down the chains. Ponyta, now free, ran away.

The guy, angry, turned at him.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Release those pokemon!" Ren ordered, but the guy only took out the ball.

"Go, Simisage!"

"Come out, Simisear!" Said his partner near the caged pokemon. Both of them started attacking Swanna together.

"Dodge!" He ordered, and Swanna listened.

"Two on one is no fair. Help us, Metang."

Kouki joined the fight.

"Water Gun!" Ren ordered. Simisear used Flamethrower. Two moves clashed, but Swanna was stronger.

Simisage used Bullet Seed on Metang, who dodged it.

"Metal Claw!"

Metang tried attacking Simisage, but it was stronger, despite type disadvantage. It kicked Metang and both Simisear and Simipour focused their attacks on Ren.

"Double Team!" Ren ordered, as multiple copies of Swanna appeared. It bought him some time, but the two Hunters focused their moves on destroying the copies.

"Water Gun!" He ordered. The remaining copies used Water Gun, but it didn't work. Two pokemon kept coming at him and Swanna.

"Ren, no! Metang, use Reflect on Swanna!" 

Just as the two moves hit Swanna, a reflection screen appeared, reducing the damage.

"Thanks, Kouki. We make a good team." Ren said. Kouki looked surprised at his words, but agreed.

"I guess we do. Psychic!"

Metang's Psychic has stopped the two pokemon from moving. Ren used the chance to "Wing Attack!" both pokemon.

Simisage, still injured from Metang's previous attack, has fainted.

"Hajime, are you ok?" The other Hunter ran to Simisage's trainer.

"I won't forgive you for defeating Hajime! Simisear, Flamethrower!"

"I won't forgive you for hurting Bulbasaur and other pokemon! Swanna, Water Gun!"

The moves clashed, and the Simisear trainer started smiling.

"It's over." He said, despite the clash of moves being not in his favour.

Suddenly Ren noticed a flash behind him. As he turned, he noticed another trainer with Simipour, probably another Pokemon Hunter. However, Simipour just fell down.

"Haruma!"

"Boss!"

The two other Hunters shouted at his defeat, losing focus in the battle. Swanna used the chance to finish the battle and knock out Simisear.

Ren looked at the pokemon who defeated Simipour, and it was the Bulbasaur from before. She protected them from a sneak attack…

Then he noticed Sakuya-senpai, officer Junsa-san and a bunch of other police officers.

"Senpai, I..."

"Arrest them!" Junsa-san said, and the police moved out to arrest three Hunters and to free the caged pokemon.

Ren returned Swanna to the ball and went to return it to Kouki.

"Your Swanna is not bad." He said.

"Thanks. I'm sure Swanna liked you too."

He took the ball from Ren and put it inside his pocket.

"Hey, have you ever thought about going on a journey? Seeing the world? A lot of pokemon trainers travel around the region."

"Do you mean..."

"Yeah, travel with me, Ren. I was looking for someone to travel with."

"Really?"

"I understand it's hard to leave everything behind, but think about it. I will come tomorrow for the gym battle." He returned Metang to the ball and left.

Ren went to talk to Sakuya-senpai. He couldn't delay it anymore.

"Sakuya-senpai, I..."

"You got stronger, Ren."

"Huh?"

"I saw your battle. You did what you thought was right."

"You're not angry?"

"I am, but I have to admit, you were great."

"Senpai..."

…

Later that night, Ren couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about Kouki's offer. Ren was born and grew up in Ripple city, he never left the city or thought about going anywhere. As Sakuya-senpai's assistant he met trainers from all over the world, but he never thought of leaving Sakuya-senpai behind and travelling. Was it only because he hadn't met a partner, someone he could travel with? 

Unable to sleep, Ren woke up and went to the pool where senpai's pokemon were. He liked talking to them when he was troubled, even if they couldn't advise him. Some of the pokemon were still awake, specifically Mudkip who was still a child and was too excited to sleep during the night, and Vaporeon who looked after Mudkip like a parent.

As soon as Ren came down, Mudkip jumped into his arms, soaking Ren with his wet skin.

"Okay, calm down, I'm here." He laughed. 

Mudkip snuggled some more and then fell asleep in Ren's arms.

"Hey, Vaporeon, what should I do? Should I go with him? Should I leave senpai?"

Vaporeon didn't answer, just looked at Ren's eyes.

"Yes, you're right, I should, but..."

"Ren? What's wrong? Why are you still awake?"

"Senpai, there's something I want to talk about."

…

As promised, Kouki returned next afternoon to challenge the gym again. This time Sakuya-senpai was waiting for him. So was Ren.

"Hey, Ren." Kouki called out as soon as he saw Ren.

"Yo. Did your friend win?" He asked

"Maybe next time. Have you thought about my offer?"

"Yes. I'll tell you after the battle."

Kouki turned to Sakuya-senpai.

"I, Kouki from Winterswamp City, am here to officially challenge Ripple gym."

"I, gym leader of Ripple Gym, Sakuya, officially accept your challenge."

Ren went to his usual place as the judge.

"Battle is two on two. Only challenger is allowed to switch pokemon at any time during the battle. Trainers, call out your pokemon."

Sakuya-senpai called Vaporeon as his first pokemon. He came from the pool he was resting in.

"That's just like Glaceon and Leafeon. Let's find out what you can do, Ponyta!"

Kouki called out a Ponyta.

"Is this..."

"Yes, it's the Ponyta from yesterday. Wanted to join me."

Ren was surprised that he would use a pokemon with type disadvantage, but he had to remain impartial.

"Let the battle begin."

"Ponyta, Quick Attack!"

"Dodge."

Ponyta was quick, but Vaporeon was quicker. Vaporeon disappeared before Ponyta could attack.

"Water gun!"

Ponyta was too close to dodge, and got hit by the water move.

"Are you ok, Ponyta?" Kouki asked, and the fire pokemon stood up, ready to fight more.

"Tail Whip!" He called, as Vaporeon's defense decreased.

"Water gun!" Senpai called again

"Stomp!"

Ponyta ran towards Vaporeon, hitting him before Water Gun could reach.

"Can you stand up?" Sakuya-senpai asked, and Vaporeon stood up, ready to fight more.

"Hydro pump!" He ordered, and Vaporeon fired the move.

"Quick attack!"

Vaporeon got hit again, but the Hydro Pump still managed to reach the target.

"Stomp!"

Ponyta wasn't that injured that much, and still managed to use an attack hit Vaporeon before he could stand up. Vaporeon got injured, but could still fight.

"Ember!" Kouki called out.

"Quick attack!" Sakuya-senpai called, but Vaporeon only flinched and couldn't use the move.

The Ember hit Vaporeon, and it fainted.

"Vaporeon is unable to continue, Ponyta wins."

"You did great." Senpai said, taking Vaporeon to the pool to rest.

"Good job. Now it's your turn, Poliwrath. "Submission!"

"Quick attack!"

Sakuya-senpai using Submission… he got serious.

The moves clashed. Ponyta was tired, almost at the verge of collapsing, but still kept standing. Poliwrath suffered from both attacks, but it looked as strong as ever.

"Return, Ponyta." He called, but it broke the return.

"You still want to fight?"

Ponyta insisted on staying, despite being exhausted.

"Ice beam!"

Sakuya-senpai's attack hit the target and Ponyta collapsed.

"Ponyta is unable to continue. Poliwrath wins."

Now it's one pokemon for each side left.

"Not bad for first time. Come out, Metang!"

Kouki called out the Metang from before. 

"Metal claw!"

"Water gun!"

The moves clashed. Metang seemed more affected by close range attack, while Poliwrath used Water Gun as a shield.

"Psychic!"

Kouki's Metang used Psychic, levitating Poliwrath, preventing from using moves.

"Earthquake!"

The shaking ground made Metang lose focus, despite being a floating pokemon, and the Psychic lost effect.

"Ice beam!"

"Reflect!"

The Ice Beam hit Metang, but the damage was smaller.

"Submission!"

Again that move. Senpai is really serious.

"Take Down!"

Both pokemon hit each other. Both looked tired. It was almost the end.

"Submission!"

"Take Down!"

They hit heads once again, causing dust from the battlefield to prevent from seeing the result.

As the dust cleared, he saw both pokemon laying on the ground.

"Both pokemon are unable to fight. It's a tie."

It wasn't the first time Ren witnessed a battle ending in a tie, so he knew what was coming next.

"In a case of tie, it is up to the judge to decide the result."

They both looked at him. Ren was always trying to determine the result in impartial way, by judging the moves and effort. He thought of the battle again, the moves, the fighting.

"The winner is challenger Kouki."

They both returned their pokemon to balls.

"Congratulations. You have earned the Shower Badge."

Both trainers shook their hands.

"Thank you very much."

Kouki put the badge in his case, below the Leaf badge from Grandfall gym. Then he turned to Ren, again.

"What do you say, Ren? Will you go with me?"

Ren thought about his decision for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes. I will."

Kouki seemed to relax, like he was worried Ren would refuse. This was surprising,

from his usual cocky grin. Ren turned to Sakuya-senpai.

"Senpai, thank you for everything. I must go now, but I will return. I will become stronger and then return to challenge the gym."

"I will be waiting. Good luck, Ren."

"Thank you, senpai."

"Before you go, take this."

He gave Ren a ball.

"Is this..."

"Yes, it's Mudkip. He wanted to go with you."

"Really?"

"Take care, Ren."

Ren took his stuff and pokemon and went out. It was a new beginning for him.

What he didn't see was that someone was following him. A certain green pokemon.

To be continued

**Author's Note:**

> Will be continued with other characters in Starmyu


End file.
